My Top 10 Favorite Methods For Discovering Quality Sites & Resources...

Hi,

Over the years I have used various methods to improve my web experience and marketing as well as non-marketing portfolio of web sites for making money and for leisure purposes... after all that's one major purpose for being online, i.e. to find quality sites that can help you achieve something other (offline) resources can not.

So, I thought I'd start a thread to share how I find top quality sites. I have no doubt a thread like this will be very helpful to newbies and experts alike.

Here's my top 10 list in no particular order... (feel free to add your tips or simply concur with mine, if you like tell us WHY you use and like certain resources)...

1. I just stumbled upon StumbleUpon.com: Personalized Recommendations to Help You Discover the Best of the Web and have been having quite a whale of a time over there... very neat concept and it actually works. I have found some sites that have already changed the way I do business within only a matter of days that I am pretty certain I'd never have found. I actually KNEW about this site when it was popular among IMers a while back but never bothered to check it out, I'm glad I did eventually. Worth trying.

2. Of course the google search engine will be a major player, and I use it quite often and do find some really powerful gems while searching for related material.

3. Alexa.com also helps. I use there related web sites function sometimes and have stumbled on a few gems there.

4. Twitter, "follow people who share great online resources you'd be hard pressed to discover on your own", that's what I tell myself anyway and it has paid off. I try to do the same with my own twitter followers and get a great response from doing so. No sales strategies yet, still working on that aspect.

5. Email lists of some marketers. I know this one might have you screwing up your face a tad, but it does work because frankly the web is all about linking from one site to another or one person to another, what better way to discover new sites and great resources than to be on someone's list who shares nice gems at least occasionally? I've been known to weather the storm (regarding being emailed offers I'm not in the least bit interested in) just to discover some royal gems. Also, I have found that the guys who share the best resources win my loyalty eventually (or quickly) and I will end up doing business with them because I thought they helped me find great stuff.

6. Blogs like techcrunch for example. Now, I don't really like to keep blogs myself or read them (the info overload doesn't go down well with me), but I force myself to do both from time to time and as for reading some of the blogs I have visited I have definitely benefited by discovering great sites they link to.

7. Banner ads... this is my secret weapon revealed I know there are many people who still think banner ads don't work, but I have found over 100 sites this way that conventional ads never managed to send my way. So I always keep an eye out for new banner ads.

8. Occasionally google text ads catch my eye, only occasionally and sometimes I find a few gems, not very regularly which is possibly why I ignore google ads a lot... I might be in the minority with regard to ignoring PPC ads but I just don't find they lead me to quality stuff, usually just squeeze pages or some other stuff I'm not interested in.... just my view. May or may not be commonly accepted.

9. The warrior forum is also a place to discover some quality sites through referrals by other posters so I watch this space like a hawk

10. Sites like about.com, oprah.com, cnn.com, bbc.co.uk, to name just a handful will usually link to other top quality sites out there.

There are a few more I've not mentioned, but these are definitely my top 10, care to share yours?

Cheers

Kunle Olomofe